How do you feel about buying “ Conserved and Qualified “ Golden age books. 3 3

[comicjack]

On 8/12/2023 at 4:51 PM, Professor K said:

Thanks Jack. I am sir, I am. Happy and Peppy and Bursting with Love 

[IngelsFan]

Two books I have no problem with owning in Conserved and Restored condition:

[ender]

I have a lot of qualified books, mostly for married parts.  If the book is complete , it doesn't bother me at all.  I would not pay blue label prices for qualified of course, but it does bring a lot of books down to where I feel ok about budgeting for them and spending the money on them.  I also have a number that are restored.  If it bothered me that much I would not have bought them.  I also think that qualified, conserved and restored should be viewed differently for silver age and especially for golden age.  I think if someone is reinforcing a spine, or something like that, to strengthen a book, as long as they are disclosing it, I think it is fine to make the book last longer as the number of these books is set, and the demand (in many cases) exceeds the supply.

[Gotham Kid]

On 8/12/2023 at 7:05 PM, october said:

On 8/12/2023 at 3:03 PM, DocHoppus182 said:

I don’t have a problem with it.  Being that I’m working with a limited budget, it usually allows me to buy books that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to afford blue labels of.  I’ll buy restored as well.  Except for trimming.

This exactly. No trimming and I really try to avoid incomplete. Everything else is on the table when a nice blue label is out of reach. 

+1

for restored, I tend to stay away from extensive

[Dr. Balls]

Years ago on the boards before they had a 'Conserved' label, I was pretty vocal about the importance of conserving the books and how they shouldn't be roped into the 'restored' category, since the processes could be categorized on their own. Conserving books is how the hobby gets maintained for the long term (as in 100+ years and beyond) and I like to think someday that conserved books might generate the same value as a blue label.

I only own one restored book, with color touch, reinforced, tear seals. Like another boardie mentioned: I just don't like trimming or incomplete. I think we still have a few years to take advantage of conservation/resto being at a value disadvantage. I have lots of blue labels, but I have no problem going after a book that's been restored or conserved.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Dr. Balls

[Silver Surfer]

Metropolis had a real nice Tec #33 with a cleaned cover that sat on its site for a long time. Asking price was steep at the time $17k-$19k and then it must have sold but I’m sure it’s value today would have easily doubled. Not sure of the grade but it presented like a VF. 

[sfcityduck]

IMHO, there is no practical difference between a truly conserved book and a universal since conservation can be reversed. 

I personally believe that certain forms of restoration which prevent damage should be encouraged. There is no rational reason to encourage anyone to keep a rusted staple on a book when it can be replaced with a period appropriate replacement. 

Edited August 13, 2023 by sfcityduck

[fifties]

I certainly agree with most of the sentiments expressed here; trimmed, brittle & missing pages or POFC are a no-no, O/W restoration normally acceptable. 

Since I crack every slab I get in order to read the book, CGC labels are a non-issue.  And really, TG for PLODs; they make affordability possible on so many HTF books.

This copy was labelled as Poor by CGC, in that it had a coupon cut out of the BC, and cost $500 at HA a few years ago.  O/W it would have graded as a VG, and well over 500 at that time.

[Dr. Balls]

On 8/13/2023 at 11:12 AM, sfcityduck said:

IMHO, there is no practical difference between a truly conserved book and a universal since conservation can be reversed. 

Just crack it out and give it the 'ol Conservation Reversal:

 

[Sauce Dog]

I happily buy Conserved books. Paper collectibles, regardless of hobby, need to be addressed if long term preservation is an actual concern (for most it isn't, as they just want the book in a Universal slab and then who cares what happens - it has the label and it's in there forever). If a book sits in a slab for decades I don't care if it's Universal, at the end of the day it will be suffering from deterioration from such things as acidity of the pages if not addressed. This is less about repairing a book and more of required maintenance. Likewise, I happily pay to have the most important older books of mine conserved (and in all cases the grades have gone up as well due to the work done. A low-grade grail book doubling it's grade is always welcome)

Restored is a different matter, which mostly always comes down to price in relation to the work done on the book. I love CHEAP restored books nobody else would touch. I just bought an amazing looking (the color strike alone made it worth it! The cover was as if it was on an 8.5 or better copy) Golden Age More Fun #36 for pocket change on account of it having brittle pages and slight restoration (split sealed and cover cleaned) - it's now the oldest book in my collection at a price cheaper than many of the Bronze Age books I've bought. Same goes for key books I just want to own for fun, not as an investment, and wouldn't otherwise have shelled out money to own at high grades (bought the first Juggernaut appearance for $300 in 7.5 grade on account of it having a trimmed edge - oh no! It displays better than even other 9.0+ books I own but I paid basically the cost of a Universal 1.0 of the book). How well a book can display ends up being one of the most important factors to me - at the end of the day all slabbed comics are effectively just limited edition art prints one can show off like a gallery)

The other side of Restored books is I buy them KNOWING I can either outright undo the work done (slight CT) or the slab pre-dates the CGC conserved label and I know it will be easy to convert it over.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Sauce Dog

[Sqeggs]

On 8/12/2023 at 10:17 AM, action1kid said:

Let’s use an example. The Allentown copy of Wonder 1 which is conserved. 

Looks like the Allentown Wonder Comics 1 is qualified (because of a spine split) rather than conserved. Or was the spine split later sealed and the book was then put in a conserved slab? If the choice were between qualified and conserved, I would prefer to have the spine split left alone and have the book in a qualified slab. 

[Sqeggs]

I think some of the bad odor attached to restored books dates to the early days of CGC when some collectors were angry at finding out they had been sold high-dollar books with undisclosed resto.

[action1kid]

On 8/13/2023 at 9:49 PM, Sqeggs said:

I think some of the bad odor attached to restored books dates to the early days of CGC when some collectors were angry at finding out they had been sold high-dollar books with undisclosed resto.

The rule as it appeared to me back in the day before CGC was a dealer did not disclose restoration unless you asked. And then not even at times. CGC was necessary to stop this.

[action1kid]

On 8/13/2023 at 9:48 PM, Sqeggs said:

Looks like the Allentown Wonder Comics 1 is qualified (because of a spine split) rather than conserved. Or was the spine split later sealed and the book was then put in a conserved slab? If the choice were between qualified and conserved, I would prefer to have the spine split left alone and have the book in a qualified slab. 

My mistake. Sorry 

[Cat-Man_America]

This is my best restored CGC graded book; very early label.

At this time apparently pressing was still considered restoration, which makes the label a true collectors item! 

Spoiler

[Robot Man]

I think Jon Berk’s collection (and of course high prices), have eased the stigma of restored and conserved books. Depending on the situation and the book, I have never had a problem as long as it was disclosed. I always make a note on the backing board of this as well as married books. I would never knowingly burn a fellow collector. But then, I have never been into this for the money. 

[october]

On 8/15/2023 at 2:17 AM, Cat-Man_America said:

 

At this time apparently pressing was still considered restoration, which makes the label a true collectors item! 

Only in conjunction with a wet cleaning. 

[Cat-Man_America]

On 8/15/2023 at 10:37 AM, october said:

Only in conjunction with a wet cleaning. 

Perhaps, but I've never seen "pressing" mentioned on a label before. Also, moisture apparently comes into play with a lot of manipulations or so I understand (I've never done any of this myself, so I'm just gauging by what I've heard about the process). I'm more of a "leave it as is" kind of guy, but the whole crack-out and bump thing has become a centerpiece of the "jockey for best position" game and who am I to criticize it. 

[fifties]

On 8/15/2023 at 8:17 AM, Robot Man said:

I always make a note on the backing board of this as well as married books.

How can you tell that an interior has been married to a different cover?

[Cat-Man_America]

On 8/15/2023 at 7:55 PM, fifties said:

How can you tell that an interior has been married to a different cover?

Look for a Newton ring on her finger.